Nowadays, numerous users have at home an appliance for reproducing audio or audiovisual documents. These documents are generally stored in digital form, either in the appliance itself, for example in the hard disk, or within the local network of the residence, or else in a database accessible via a public network such as the Internet. These documents can be videos, audio documents or else still images. To access these documents, the user has available an interface ensuring display and navigation around this whole set of documents. The documents appear on a screen via an identifier, thereby allowing the user to peruse the whole set of accessible documents. The identifiers appear in lists incorporated into menus. This identifier can be the title, or an image, or any other displayable element representative of the document. In the case of an image, this can be an extract of the video, a photo of the artiste for an audio document, a part of a photo, etc. The so-called “graphical” identifier is generally associated with the document by the producer of the said document, it can also be defined and associated by the user himself.
The user interface must make it possible to present the identifiers so that the user navigates between them and can easily find the one that he is searching for and select it. This navigation can also allow the user to browse around and finally create an interest in a document. When the user has found a document, he selects it and performs an action on the latter: obtain information, read the document (watch in the case of a film, listen in the case of music, . . . ), destroy it, purchase it or rent it, etc.
A simple example of a system comprising a database containing documents and a reproduction appliance furnished with a user interface consists of a PVR (“Personal Video Recorder”). A PVR is an appliance furnished with a hard disk, a display means, and a remote control. These appliances can use inter alia remote controls called “Gyration”, their feature is to be furnished with gyroscopes so as to transform motion in space into a signal. By moving his remote control to the left, to the right, up or down, the user moves a cursor on the screen, as would a computer mouse by moving over the mat. The Gyration remote control also has conventional keys, in particular for executing actions on the identifier highlighted. The user interface allows the access to audio libraries, photo or even mixed libraries, with different equipment possibly being closer to an individual computer.
The document EP 1 107 097—HITACHI describes a method for displaying and navigating around a collection of icons representing information elements. An icon is highlighted graphically, the graphical highlight moves from icon to icon with the aid of a rotary key placed on the remote control. The rotary key also makes it possible to rotate the whole set of displayed icons. This document does not teach a single means making it possible at one and the same time to indicate to the user which icon is highlighted and the direction of rotation of the carrousel.
The document WO01/69367—VIZIBLE.com describes a U.I. in the form of a sphere, the sphere is festooned with boxes showing in each box elements such as Web sites. The environment is that of a personal computer and the user has available a mouse making it possible to move a cursor making it possible to designate a displayed object. This document does not teach another usage of the cursor.
The present invention presents a new way to navigate through a set of documents, so as to appear at one and the same time attractive and recreational.